Can You Believe?
Can you believe Chuck Grassley claiming that people who aren’t rich “are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies”?
Can you believe Orrin Hatch calling children who get health care through CHIP “people who won’t help themselves, won’t lift a finger and expect the federal government to do everything”?
Can you believe Mitch McConnell flip-flopping and letting “the people of Alabama decide” on Roy Moore four weeks after saying “I believe the women” and calling on Moore to leave the race?
Hits and Misses – the week’s best and worst moves
Hit of the Week: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s forceful leadership in the fight against sexual harassment, wherever it occurs: in the military, in the civilian workplace, or in Congress.
Miss of the Week: Trump’s ill-informed, ill-timed decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. After promising to broker “the ultimate deal” on Mideast peace, Trump abandoned America’s role as an honest broker while giving away our best bargaining chip with Netanyahu and getting nothing in return. As Thomas Friedman wrote, “Why in the world would you just give this away for free and not even use it as a lever to advance the prospect of an Israeli-Palestinian deal?”
Hot House Race of the Week
The CA-48 race was already hot: Last month the Cook Political Report moved it from “Leans Republican” to “Toss Up.” Now PAC For A Change has turned up the heat with our new ad calling out Dana Rohrabacher (“Putin’s favorite Congressman”) for his suspicious ties with Russia. It’s called “From Russia With Love” and you can watch it here.
Finally…
In naming “The Silence Breakers” as its Person of the Year, TIME magazine hailed these brave women for hastening a generational change in attitudes toward both the perpetrators and victims of sexual harassment and predation. As TIME noted, America was ripe for this change: “Women have had it with bosses and co-workers who not only cross boundaries but don’t even seem to know that boundaries exist.” It was very sad to see Al Franken leave the Senate after he violated those boundaries. Sometimes events and movements overtake an individual. This fight for women’s dignity did just that.
